While it has always been important, the fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak has forced managers and employers to make workplace hygiene a top priority.
Increasingly, we are seeing businesses level-up their office hygiene strategies, across their working environment. Not only will this minimise the risk of viruses spreading across the team, but it is also a proven way to improve your employees’ mental and physical well being.
Here at JMS Cleaning Services, we provide commercial contract cleaning and office cleaning, to ensure your office or workplace is clean and ready for your staff.
So, as more and more people return to in-person or hybrid working practices, this is the perfect opportunity to evaluate and improve your office hygiene practices.
And, if you’re still not convinced that this investment would be worthwhile, keep reading to find our top six reasons why managers should prioritise hygiene at work.
Employee Welfare
Poor hygiene in an office environment can have a serious impact on employee morale.
In fact, according to a piece of research conducted by Hayward Baker, 69% of British workers believed that their job is ‘hazardous’, due to the poor hygiene conditions in the office.
What’s more, 21% of those surveyed said that, when they reported a hygiene issue to their employer or manager, nothing was done about it.
It’s easy to imagine how unpleasant or unhygienic working conditions – especially if your team could see that you were doing nothing to fix it – would make team morale low.
Having no hygiene practices in place suggests that you are inconsiderate of employee welfare, and can create barriers between upper management and the team (fuelling sentiments like, ‘obviously the boss wouldn’t allow this if it was in his office’).
Maintains a Positive Image
You want to present the best possible impression of your company, both for your team and for visitors to the site.
Obviously, a dirty office is one of the worst ways to go about this. It has connotations of a disordered, inconsiderate and unprofessional workplace which, in turn, fuels the same negative perceptions of your company.
But, by implementing routine workplace cleaning schedules and a set hygiene at work policy, you can ensure you’re creating the right impressions of your organisation.
Employee Health
This is one of the most critical factors, which should convince you to implement higher hygiene standards at work, beyond any doubt.
According to data from The ONS, there has been an increase of over 12 million sick days for preventable illness, since 2011.
The cost of this to businesses is monumental. Millions of pounds, endless hours and employee satisfaction levels have been lost, due to illnesses that could have been prevented.
Furthermore, it reveals a concerning trend. Workplaces simply aren’t doing enough to prevent the spread of infections amongst the team.
Health & Safety
We’ve spoken about the financial repercussions of poor office cleaning, but this failure can also seriously hinder your business’s health and safety standards.
Did you know that up to 10 million bacteria lives on the average uncleaned desk?
What’s more, according to research conducted by the University of Arizona, around 90% of office mugs harbour germs and bacteria that could make someone ill.
In addition to exposing your team to harmful bacteria and viruses, a poor office cleaning procedure could increase the number of physical hazards in the office (such as uncleaned spills).
Air Quality
Did you know that the air quality in a closed space (like an office) can be 500% worse than it is outdoors?
Your office’s air quality will be made worse by allergens, dust and odours. If you don’t air your office regularly enough, this will negatively impact the health of your employees, particularly anyone with asthma or hay fever.
In turn, this will make them both unhappier at work and less productive.
Saving Money
In the long run, improving your office cleaning procedures can save you a lot of money.
Not only will it reduce the amount of sickness leave taken by your employees, but it will also help to improve your employee satisfaction, and so, your employee retention rate (hiring is hugely expensive!).
At JMS Cleaning Services, we provide specialist, dependable guidance about workplace cleaning. Our team of commercial cleaning specialists can work with you to implement a rigorous office hygiene procedure, which protects the health and happiness of your employees.
We work with businesses across Manchester and Cheshire, providing commercial cleaning services at the highest possible standard.
If you’re keen to find out more, don’t hesitate to get in touch.